Big Brother Steps In
by Lady Dudley
Summary: S4E12 AU: After she breaks down in Eric's office, the third and eldest of Godric's children comforts Pam. Eric is not amused.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Someone, I forget who - sorry!, asked for a Paric baby-fic. Unfortunately, babies and Paric just don't mix for me but I was chatting with Secrets4theunderground who suggested this premise. It didn't end up being as long as I hoped but - who knows? - maybe Alphonse will show up again. HUGE thank you to** ** **Secrets4theunderground for providing invaluable encouragement and I apologise for the lame title...** Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 _ **Big Brother Steps In**_

"So, please, don't try to stop me, either of you."

Eric stared at Sookie in disbelief as she backed away from him and Bill.

Stop her? He had half a mind to rip her head off.

He'd been willing to give up his life to save her and she was just going to walk away? It didn't even matter that she had rejected Bill at the same moment, all he could think about was how much had sacrificed for her and how she was throwing it all away.

As the door closed behind her Eric felt a sharp stab of pain, deeper than even he had been anticipating.

Until he realised that it wasn't his own pain he was feeling, but Pam's.

Momentarily forgetting about Sookie, he sought Pam through their bond. He wasn't surprised to find that she'd blocked him but he _was_ surprised by the depth of despair that he could still feel from her.

"She's crying," Bill whispered, breaking the silence.

Eric blinked, dimly he could hear Sookie weeping as she walked away from the house, but he couldn't focus on that right now.

" _Get out of my sight before I kill you."_

He'd meant the words in the heat of the moment, but he hadn't considered that she might _believe_ them. Some of her pain eased and he realised someone was comforting her, jealousy flared in his chest at the thought of her seeking comfort in the arms of another.

He stood up, he had to find her.

Bill stopped him with a hand on his shoulder as he started towards the door, "It's for the best, Eric," he said softly, "we should honour her request."

Eric turned on him, fangs bared, "She's _mine_ , Bill," he snarled, striding towards the door.

Moving at vampire speed, Bill blocked the doorway, "Sookie doesn't belong to either of us," he snarled, baring his own fangs, "leave her be."

"What the _f*ck_ does Sookie have to do with Pam?" Eric snapped.

"What?" Bill asked, looking completely flummoxed.

Eric blinked, suddenly realising his error, "I'm not going after Sookie you idiot," he explained in as level tone as he could muster, "I have to find Pam."

Before Bill could comment, Eric had pushed him aside and left the house. Moving at vampire speed it didn't take him long to reach Fangtasia.

He skidded to a stop as he took in the destruction of his office, a whimper caught his attention and followed the noise to find Pam wrapped in the arms of another vampire.

"Alphonse," Eric snarled.

The vampire, who looked like he wasn't much more than eight years old, looked up and shot Eric a smile without any warmth, "Hello brother."

Eric bared his fangs, "What are you doing here?" he demanded, his anger rising as Pam made no attempt extricate herself from the other vampire's embrace. If anything, she curled further into it.

Alphonse raised both of his eyebrows, "Isn't it obvious? I'm here because Pam needs me. We share common blood, I've felt her pain for days," he cocked his head to the side speculatively, "where were you?" he challenged.

Eric growled, noting how Pam stiffened at the sound, "That is not your concern," he ground out, "but I'm here now, so you can leave."

Alphonse shot him a half smile, "I'll leave," he said blithely, sounding like the child he once was, "when Pam wants me to."

Eric bit back another snarl at his words, "Pamela?" he asked finally, calming himself with an effort and looking down at her expectantly.

Pam looked up at him for the first time and he winced to see the bloody tears that stained her cheeks. His next question died on his lips, he couldn't ask her to tell his brother to leave. Not when he was clearly giving her the comfort she so badly needed.

The comfort that he was no longer sure he had the right to give or that she would accept were he to offer it.

He met Alphonse's triumphant gaze, "I hate you."

Alphonse looked completely unconcerned, "Sticks and stones, brother."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Just so you know, I see Alphonse as looking a bit like Freddie Boath (Alex in _The Mummy Returns_ ), hence why I adapted one of the lines from the movie in this chapter ;) Originally he was going to be younger than Eric, but being older was just funnier and made more sense for why he didn't just push him out of the way ;)**

After two nights of being under the same roof as his brother, Eric was ready to find some _real_ sticks and stones to show his brother just how much damage they could inflict.

Preferably through the fashioning of a stake.

Despite their almost a millennia of shared history, Eric and Alphonse had never warmed to each other and their antagonism had only increased after Eric had turned Pam.

Of course he'd wanted his family to accept his Child, but he had been shaken by just _how much_ his Maker and brother had taken to her. Although, Godric's fatherly concern for her had been nothing compared to the childlike devotion that she had inspired in his brother.

A devotion that had – much to his horror and disbelief – been reciprocated.

A devotion that was now coming back to haunt him as he endured watching his Child confide in and seek comfort from another. He knew that he had no one to blame but himself and yet his brother's continual presence by her side meant that he couldn't even _attempt_ to put things right.

A fact that was clearly being exploited by Alphonse, if the smugness he exuded was anything to go by.

"Let me see her," Eric growled, towering over his brother as he stood guard outside Pam's door.

Alphonse remained unmoved, "Shouldn't there be a please in that sentence?" he shook his head, "Vikings, no manners."

Eric bit back a snarl as he glared down at his brother, "Please."

"I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request," Alphonse informed him blithely and Eric resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"You watch too many movies," he muttered.

Alphonse raised his eyebrows, "You've seen the movie?"

"It was a Disney movie and I live with Pam," Eric snapped, "of course I've seen it."

Alphonse gave him a boyish grin, "I went for the pirates."

This time, Eric did roll his eyes, "Figures."

Alphonse crossed his arms and glared up at him, "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't go watch the Thor movies."

"I have better things to do with my time," Eric scoffed, hoping his brother hadn't been there long enough to look through his movie collection.

"What about _Finding Dory_?" Alphonse challenged.

"Adalfuns*…" Eric began in a warning tone.

" _Eiríkr*_ …" Alphonse retorted, mimicking his tone.

Eric bared his fangs, "She's _my_ Child, _Alphie_ , now stand aside."

Alphonse snarled and flashed his own fangs, "Call me 'Alphie' again and I will happily send you to the True Death," he warned in a low tone.

Eric eyed his brother for a long moment, contemplating his options. Although a part of him wanted nothing more than to pummel his brother into the ground, the other part – the _sensible_ part – knew that his chances of succeeding were rather slim.

After all, despite appearances, his brother _was_ a good century older than him.

Slowly he retracted his fangs and took a step back, "When the time comes, I shall truly enjoy evicting you from my home," he muttered.

Alphonse grinned as he retracted his own fangs, "But until that day comes, I'll be right here, making sure Pam is safe."

Eric snarled, "That is _my_ job, not yours."

"That must be why I found her falling to pieces all alone," Alphonse retorted. "She is afraid of you Eric," he continued before Eric could reply, "leave her alone."

"Don't be ridiculous," Eric scoffed, "she knows I could never harm her."

"You threatened to kill her," Alphonse reminded him.

Eric made a sound somewhere between a scoff and a huff, "In the heat of the moment, I wasn't serious."

Alphonse shrugged a shoulder, "She thinks you were."

Eric froze, "How could she think that?"

Alphonse looked him straight in the eye, "Perhaps she thinks you're changing your answer from the vineyard."

Forgetting his earlier resolution not to challenge his brother, Eric took a warning step forward. "Do not speak of her," he cautioned, his voice dangerously low.

To his annoyance, Alphonse looked amused, "Oh? Anyone else who I should avoid speaking of? Claudia? Yvette? _Nora_?"

"You wouldn't dare," Eric spat, towering over him.

Alphonse raised his chin in defiance, "Try me."

"You swore to Godric that you'd protect her."

It was Alphonse's turn to take a warning step forward, "Do not speak of him," he growled, standing toe to toe with Eric and glaring up at him.

"You didn't come for him then," Eric spat, "do not pretend to care now."

Alphonse looked away, "He ordered me not to," he said in a small voice, softening his tone and stepping back.

"What?" Eric asked, startled.

Alphonse retreated to the door, looking like a lost little boy as bloody tears filled his eyes, "He ordered me to remain where I was and then…he was gone." He glowered at Eric through his tears, "I will not allow you to do the same to Pam," he informed him.

"Then let me talk to her," Eric countered, softening his tone.

Alphonse shook his head, "Not until she says it's ok."

"You always were an annoying little sh*t," Eric muttered.

Alphonse shrugged a shoulder, "I'm eight years old," he reminded him, "it's my job."

"Brat," Eric grumbled, turning away.

"Boor," Alphonse shot back.

"Squirt," Eric countered, turning back.

"Giant," Alphonse taunted.

Eric glowered at him, "Dwarf."

"Butt-head."

"I see the mature part of the evening has started," Eric commented, amused in spite of himself and earning a kick in the shin from Alphonse.

"Pamela doesn't wish to see you," Alphonse informed him imperiously as Eric resisted the urge to rub his shin, "I suggest that you honour her request and leave her be."

"Fine," Eric spat, "but only because that's what Pam wants."

"Noticing her feelings, that's a very promising change," Alphonse commented drily.

Eric shot him a dark look as he turned and walked away, trying not to make his limp too obvious as he did so.

...

 **A/N: So, in my head, Alphonse is an Anglo-Saxon princeling - hence his real name is actually Adalfuns which is an Ancient Germanic form of Alfonso.** **Eiríkr** **is an Old Norse form of Eric - it always bugged me that Eric isn't spelt Erik, but I figured there was nothing stopping him from changing his name over the centuries either ;)** _  
_


	3. Chapter 3

The next evening, Eric ground his teeth as he sat on his throne; ostensibly presiding over the patrons of Fangtasia but really watching Alphonse and Pam who were deep in conversation by the bar.

"Enough," he muttered, getting to his feet and striding through the crowd.

Pam didn't even turn around as he came up behind her, "We need to talk," he informed the back of her head.

She turned around slowly, "I'm busy," she drawled with something of her former spark.

"Tough," he snapped, taking her by the elbow and dragging her behind him.

"Hey!" Alphonse protested, looking every bit like a petulant child as he ran after them. "She doesn't want to talk to you," he whined, "let her go!" he added, tugging on Eric's arm.

"You, in there," Eric ordered, pushing Pam into his office, "and _you_ ," he added, turning to his brother, "stay out of this," he growled, slamming the door in his brother's face with relish.

"What do you want, Eric?" Pam demanded, crossing her arms as she watched him barricade the door against Alphonse's attempts to get inside.

"I told you," he explained with forced calmness, "we need to talk."

"I think you said enough outside the Moon Goddess Emporium," she said flatly.

Eric took a deep, unnecessary breath, "You of all people should know that I was not myself at the time."

"I don't know, fawning over Sookie seems to have become your default setting," she retorted.

"I was cursed!"

"You weren't cursed when you bought her house," she countered, "or when you installed a bolthole in said house _or_ when you threatened to kill me."

"You tell him Pam!" cried a voice from the hallway.

"I said, stay out of this!" Eric bellowed over his shoulder.

Alphonse ignored him and continued to shout from the hallway, momentarily distracting Eric, "Bully."

"Pipsqueak."

"Barbarian."

"Peasant."

A howl of rage followed Eric's last statement, "How dare you!" Alphonse spluttered and Eric smirked to himself as he imagined the outraged look on his brother's face.

"Oh, don't let me stop you," Pam drawled, leaning against his desk as he turned back to face her, looking a trifle guilty. "This conversation is clearly important to you," she added, feigning disinterest as she examined her nails.

Eric narrowed his eyes, "It _is_ important to me," he insisted, " _nothing_ is more important to me than you."

Pam raised an eyebrow, "All evidence to the contrary."

"I've tried to have this conversation with you several times," he protested, "but your pintsized bodyguard wouldn't let me near you."

"Pintsized or not I can still rip your arms off, you… _poo_ -head!" came the petulant response from the hallway.

Eric rolled his eyes, but otherwise ignored his brother's outburst.

"I thought no one could stop you from doing what you want?" Pam countered with a hint of sarcasm.

"This wasn't about what I wanted, this was about what you wanted," Eric explained, taking a small step towards her, "and you wanted his comfort."

"So what changed?" she challenged.

Eric stopped, stumped.

"Excellent point!" Alphonse called out from the hallway as the silence continued.

Pam raised her eyebrows as she regarded Eric, ignoring Alphonse's interruption, "Well?" she prompted.

In spite of herself, Pam felt an amused smile tug at the corner of her mouth as she continued to watch Eric struggle to find an acceptable answer. "Jealous of your own brother," she chided him, a hint of teasing in her tone as she shook her head, "so selfish."

Eric's confusion melted into a smirk, "Insubordinate."

Pam couldn't tell who moved first, but as she buried herself deeper into her Maker's embrace, she didn't particularly care.

"You still have some grovelling to do," Pam said after a moment, pressing herself closer.

"I don't doubt it," Eric replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"I thought I'd lost you," she murmured against his neck.

"Never," he swore, pulling her closer.


	4. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

Hours later, Sookie entered Fangtasia, chewing her lower lip as she looked around. She blinked as she caught sight of the boy sitting at the bar.

"Hello," she greeted him with a smile and slight simper, charmed by his cherubic features, "my name is Sookie, what's yours?"

The boy regarded her with barely disguised distain, "My name was Adalfuns, but I changed it to Alphonse in the twelfth century." He frowned, "What sort of a name is 'Sookie'?"

Sookie blinked, "Uh…"

The boy sniffed the air and eyed her suspiciously, "You're her aren't you? The bimbo Eric lost his mind over."

Sookie blinked again, "Excuse me?" she demanded, her temper rising.

"It doesn't matter, he won't want to see you," Alphonse informed her dismissively. "He's in his office, with Pam," he added significantly.

Sookie glanced towards the office door, "Oh."

"They've been in there for _ages_ ," he continued, "I doubt he'll be willing to give you whatever you came for."

Sookie stiffened her spine, "I think I'll ask him for myself."

She stepped back as Alphonse flashed his fangs at her, "You take one step towards that door and I'll kill you," he swore.

She eyed him warily.

"Don't test me," he warned her, getting off the stool. Sookie took another step back, wondering whether it was his childish features that made him seem so much more vicious than any other vampire she'd met.

"Now get out," he ordered, causing her to back up further as he took a menacing step towards her.

"I don't think Eric would appreciate you making that decision for him," she retorted.

Alphonse let out a low growl that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, "Leave my brother _alone_ ," he snarled.

Sookie gawked at him, "Brother?"

"Yes, brother," he repeated, "and if you come between him and Pam again I will rip your throat out."

Sookie swallowed, "I wasn't aware that I had."

"Just because I'm cute doesn't mean I'm stupid," Alphonse informed her, "he cared about you once, but that's over. Now get out, I won't ask you again," he warned her.

Sookie regarded him for a long moment before she decided to cut her losses and left the bar with as much of her dignity as she could muster.

Alphonse waited until he was sure she was gone before he resumed his position at the bar, "Sookie," he muttered under his breath, "what an unbelievably _stupid_ name."

...

 **A/N: Couldn't resist - we all know she'd come crawling back ;) Thanks for reading! :)  
**


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